(Harlan) After 30 years in law enforcement, Harlan Assistant Police Chief Steve Davis has ventured into retirement.
Davis spent his entire career in Harlan. This was his final week on the job. “We’ve been looking at buying a house down in Arkansas and we were pretty close to buying one. The timing just looked right. Chief (Frank) Clark It’s just time. After 30 years it’s been fun, but it’s time.”
The Fort Dodge native always found the Harlan community to be very friendly. “I actually hadn’t planned on staying very long. It turned out to be such a great community with so many good people that I just loved it and love all the people around it. It was very easy to stay.”
His love for sports was one of the elements that entrenched him in the community. “To be honest I really loved sports and obviously Harlan is a great sports community. I play a lot of pickup games and stuff so I got to know a lot of the players and coaches over the years.”
In a line of work such as law enforcement, getting to the finish line is often a relief. “It really is. Luckily for me I never had too many instances where I was concerned for my safety or having to hurt someone else. It’s changed so much now. Especially now with the mental health stuff, every call is a lot more dangerous. It’s a different ball game now.”
In retirement you’re most likely to find him on the golf course. He says he will miss the camaraderie amongst the department and miss all of the good people in the community. He wishes to thank all of the people in Harlan and the surrounding area that have been so wonderful to he and his family.
